Chapter Two
Ginevra sat silently on the train, knee deep in her thoughts, contemplating this year and what it possibly had in store for her. Music pounded into her ears from a muggle CD player given to her by Hermione, the lyrics continuously washed over her, making her think.
'I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to choose
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
Tonight'
She was going into her sixth year, not as a prefect guaranteed but she was still relatively bright and capable. She liked to think that she had the potential to do good, although she was never told this, complements weren't something that were given to her on a regular basis, her brothers didn't redeem it particularly necessary and her parents, they told her well done but that didn't really hit the spot, so to speak.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the entrance into her compartment of three not particularly welcome, at the moment friends.
'Hey Gin!' Hermione smiled at her. Ron didn't bother to acknowledge her as he was still angry with the way that she had decided to dress. However, Ginevra did notice that Harry chose to acknowledge her, not with his usual cheery 'hello' but with an appreciative sideways glance of her, up and down. Ginevra shook her head and smirked to herself, thinking with a smile how Ron never took much notice to the looks Harry gave her, whereas if Colin came near… well that was very different, what you'd called ironic really.
'Harry? Hello? Harry?'
'Ginny,' he said quickly pulling himself away from her upper torso to look her in the eyes. 'How are you?'
'Fine thanks. Ron, don't forget Mum told you to send her an owl when we arrive at school, to let her know we're safe…' She trailed off. 'Ron…? Stop being so bloody immature and grow up for goodness sake.'
Hermione looked across at Ginevra, 'What's wrong with him?' She questioned.
'He's in a strop because he doesn't like the way that I look, almost called me a slut earlier on.' Ginevra said spitefully.
'Ron! What is the matter with you? She's 16 for god's sake, it's life, yes she's your little sister and of course you're going to be protective but there's protective and there's protective. You've got to let her live her own life and make her own mistakes, just like you've done.' Hermione lectured.
Ginevra could've leapt up and hugged Hermione to almost certain death but instead she kept her cool, smiled and nodded to Hermione in a thankful way. She knew Hermione understood, so she got up and walked out of the carriage not forgetting to charismatically exaggerating the twist of her hips for the benefit of Harry's gaze, so then she knew Ron would for once catch onto what Harry was doing. Before she exited the compartment though she added, 'No Harry, no.' And left, knowing Ron was shooting Harry a dark and protective look, she just chuckled.
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Ginevra found herself an empty compartment further up the train in which she sat down to absorb herself within her book. A book of romance, adventure, life, learning and philosophy.
'I swear too many of those books will make you go crazy…'
Ginevra smiled at the sound of this voice. 'You never will let me enter my own little world, will you Colin?'
'Oh no, because then I might just lose you to whichever hero appears in that book whether he's dark or blonde, tall or short, it's never me is it?' Colin smiled sadly.
'Colin……' Ginevra said dangerously. 'We've been through this before.'
'I'm joking, I'm joking, honest.' And that was the end of their conversation for the rest of the journey. Ginevra closed her book and looked out of the window watching the raindrops hit the glass and then struggle to be the first to make it to the bottom of the pane, survival of the fittest.
'That's life, survival and the way for me to survive is to not fall in love, not now, I can't… I have to find love in my books and that's the way it'll stay. I can't let my feelings appear on the surface and show, no one must know, never.' Ginevra thought to herself.
Colin, who was slowly drifting off to sleep had been constantly asking Ginevra out for the past year, he had never taken no for an answer even with the threats from Ron. He knew they were the best of friends and that it would always be that way but he wasn't one for not trying. Ginevra on the other hand, couldn't let him see her, who she truely was, couldn't allow him in, she wasn't able to care, not in that way anyway, not after what had happened… she had to remain a mystery.She could tease, she could flirt and she could lead men on but not love, she couldn't find it in her heart anymore that treasure, that gift had gone, it had fled her and she had no way, no idea of how to get it back. She was stuck, all because of him, what he did in the past...
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'Ginny! Ginny! Hello? Anyone there, anyone in, we're here.' The voice of Colin entered her thoughts.
'I wasn't asleep, honest, I was thinking.'
'Hmmm, yeah whatever you say. Let's go.'
They both joined the throng of people out in the corridor and slowly made their way onto the platform, listening to the shouts of Hagrid trying to get hold of all the first years and the cries of people as friends met for the first time in 2 months.
Ginevra smiled to herself as she climbed into a carriage with Colin and 4 other people from her year. With that they made their way up to the castle.
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Draco grudgingly joined Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and her 'cronies' in a compartment as it was the easiest thing to do and saved him time finding his own.
'Drakie! How are you? Good summer? Well it can't have been that good seeing as we were separated fornearly the wholeof it. Didn't you just love the way our parents liked seeing us together, as a couple,' she paused and looked coyly at Draco then continued, 'as a future husband and wife?'
'Well to be frank Pansy, no I didn't, no I didn't have a particularly good summer and I'm not great either, but thanks for asking,' Draco stated spitefully.
Crabbe and Goyle sniggered under their breaths and turned to talk to Draco in their gormless way, while Pansy, almost in tears fled the compartment and went and trapped herself in the girls toilet for the rest of the journey expecting Draco to come after her and beg for forgiveness, of which, he did no such thing.
Draco decided to busy himself with some last minute homework that he had and had forgotten to do. He didn't bother with Snape's work, as Snape knew all the excuses so Draco would just tell him the truth and Snape would have to except it. It was the way they worked. However, not doing McGonagall's work meant positive death and so this gained top priority on his to-do list. In fact it caused him so much pain and time, Draco nearly considered actually giving up and facing McGonagall with some stupid and untruthful excuse, but, he, Draco Malfoy was much higher than that and so pressed on, being the 'great and studious' person that he was.
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Draco observed the candles, the ghosts, the darkness but most of all the people as he entered the Great Hall for the beginning of term banquet. All these people around him, he smirked to think that probably all of them knew of him, knew he existed, this did a lot for his ego knowing that the majority of them feared him. The majority, that was the problem, it's only the majority. 'This is where having an influence like my father about can be… helpful...' Draco smiled to himself. His thoughts moved on and he forgot about people, how they don't matter, how they're only a part of the world, how they exist as empty shells that walk around and occasionally the odd one uses their brain.
He sat down at the Slytherin table near to Goyle and Crabbe but not to close, he didn't think he could take anymore of their mindless and pointless babble. Why couldn't someone he knew conduct an interesting and thought provoking conversation? Was it really that difficult? He watched the group of candles in front of him and how they swayed and moved with the bats as they flew past or as a gust of wind stirred around the rafters in the Great Hall. They flickered and danced, moving in time with one another and cast long, sinister shadows across the tables. Finally, Draco closed his eyes.
His eyes remained closed all the way through the sorting, through Dumbledore's speech and through the greater part of dinner. Until he realised that he hadn't eaten since about 9am that morning and so began to fill his plate and enjoy the food with the rest of the Hall.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to his right to see Blaise Zabini sitting there. 'You look deep in thought…'
'Which doesn't mean I'm going to share it with you,' he thought and then said out loud, 'yeah, I was a bit, nothing of interest though unfortunately, just the usual trauma…' Draco smirked.
Blaise, knowing what this meant smirked back and then mockingly in a whisper coughed, said 'Pansy' then coughed again, which caused people round them to laugh and Pansy to rotate her head round to look at the two boys and their smirks. She turned her nose up at them and looked away disapprovingly, which made them go into quiet fits of laughter.
'He's not half bad really,' Draco thought about Blaise.
They continued to talk about everything and anything, so Draco received his first decent conversation in about 18 months from someone he'd never considered to talk to. This surprised him, he thought himself a good judge of character, maybe not a fair one, but a good one. For instance he wasn't good when it came to judging the Weasleys, they were automatically bad, no questioning, any Weasley was bad news in his eyes, they were given no chances.
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Just before dinner was about to end, Draco received another tap on the shoulder and it was a much less welcome person than before, not that Blaise had been a welcome person in the first place, but this one was ten times worse, Professor Snape.
'Draco, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you before you leave to go to your dormitory, at the teacher's table.' And with a swish of his cloak, Snape left.
'Not so much as a please or a thank you, some people are so bloody rude.' Draco shook his head in mock disappointment, while Blaise looked at him with one eyebrow raised as if to say 'you can talk'.
'Well I'd better go see what the old coot wants otherwise knowing me I'll get a detention or something. See you around Blaise.'
'Yeah man, laters.'
Draco looked at Blaise oddly. 'I've been in America for the summer…' Blaise explained.
'Would explain it then.' Draco commented.
As he made his way to the teacher's table, he saw someone else move away from the crowd that was leaving the Great Hall and walk towards the teacher's table. This girl had flaming red hair and she carried herself with an air of dignity and confidence. Draco shook his head and took another look at the approaching girl and realised on this second glance that it was no other than the youngest Weasley.
'FUCK!' This was the first thought to enter into Draco's head and this was the way it stayed until he was standing right next to her opposite the headmaster. She stared at the headmaster defiantly and he knew that if she looked at him, then her look would be a look to kill and to kill him, so she obviously wasn't happy with this so called arrangement either.
'Nice to know,' thought Draco. 'She's not part of the majority that's for sure.'
Well that's the second chapter. Hope this one deserves reviews unlike the first; I'm going to carry on with this whether you guys like it or not, so please, please review to tell me how it's going, please, please. Thanks. Lelimo.
